You can have these smokey maple bacon bits ready in under 10 minutes.

It’s honestly surprising how realistic these bacon bits are. I gave them to a few meat eaters in my family and they were thoroughly impressed.

These “bacon” bits use Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) in place of an actual pig. TVP is essentially soy flour that has been defatted and dehydrated. TVP is super healthy for you, it’s a complete protein and has lots of it, it’s fat-free, low calorie, etc.

I have more info about what exactly TVP is on my post here: https://autumnsvegankitchen.com/2019/01/10/what-is-tvp-ways-to-enjoy-it/

Also, this may come as a surprise, but most store bought bacon bits are actually vegan! It’s pretty common for brands to use TVP since it’s far more shelf stable than actual bacon.

TVP can usually be found in bulk sections of supermarkets, but Bob’s Red Mill Brand also sells them, you’ll usually find it with the other bobs red mill products. TVP can also be found online.

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Ingredients:

1/2 Cup TVP

1 Tbs Water

1 Tbs Maple syrup

2 Tbs soy sauce or tamari

2 Tsp liquid smoke

1/2 Tsp Smoked paprika

1/4 Tsp garlic powder

Dash of black pepper

1 Tbs cooking oil

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Steps:

1. To a small saucepan add the water, maple syrup, soy sauce, liquid smoke, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper. Bring to a boil.

2. Once boiling, add the tvp and stir until the tvp has absorbed all the liquid.

3. Add the cooking oil and stir constantly until you reach your desired level of crispiness.

4. Done! Enjoy on mashed potatoes, on salads, in gravy, or anywhere you’d use regular bacon bits.

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Notes/ Observations:

-These will stay fresh for about a week in the fridge in an airtight container.

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Photos:

It’s kind of difficult to take a video one handed but this is what it looks like while cooking:

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-Autumn 💗

Follow me on Instagram @Autumn.The.Vegan to stay up to date